Dead Grandfather Attends Wedding

Published 8:00 pm, Tuesday, April 29, 2003

Johannes Fransen died two days before his granddaughter's wedding, but his family brought him along anyway _ parking his body in an open coffin in the church during the ceremony.

The former gardener and father of twelve died while celebrating his 79th birthday last week, New Zealand Press Association reported Wednesday.

But the family decided he would still attend granddaughter Rachel James' wedding two days after his death, said Rachel's mother, Nancy James.

"We just went ahead with the wedding and put Opa's coffin at the side of the church," she said, referring to Fransen by the Dutch word for grandfather. Fransen immigrated to New Zealand from the Netherlands in 1950.

During the wedding reception, the open casket was placed at the end of the hall.

"He was just there … and people went up to see him," Nancy James said. "It really helped everybody, including Mum who wanted to be with Dad."

Fransen was buried in the city of Hamilton, 330 miles northeast of the capital, Wellington, Wednesday.

He was survived by his wife, Dora, 12 children, 54 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.